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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182045">The King of the Forest</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFcrazy15/pseuds/FFcrazy15'>FFcrazy15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Tonari no Totoro | My Neighbor Totoro (1988)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Feel-good, Gen, Inspired by Studio Ghibli, Wholesome</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:06:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFcrazy15/pseuds/FFcrazy15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a long string of disappointments, the InuTachi has a chance to catch their breath in a peaceful wood. Studio Ghibli-inspired.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The King of the Forest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            The hum of crickets in the balmy early-summer night had cast a hush over the world, muffling the other sounds of rural Japan. A shooting star flashed silver overhead and then was gone. At the edge of a dense forest a small band of travelers, far from home (for those who had one), lay resting next to the campfire, which had long since burnt down to coals. Ordinarily the best warrior of the party, a young half-demon, took the nightly watch to scan for signs of danger—but it seemed the spell of peace over this corner of the world had enchanted even him into peaceful dreams.</p><p>            Only one member of the party was still awake. The nekotama, curled up around her master, lay patiently watching the sleeping world. These were the hours she liked best: hours of deep shadow, of peace, of companionship and warmth. She knew, in the way animals do, that her family was safe in the shadow of this wood.</p><p>            The cat-demon stared into the trees, waiting, watching. Eventually, a pair of luminous yellow eyes peered back. Kirara pulled back her teeth and gave a low and friendly growl.</p><p>            The yellow eyes blinked and vanished.</p><p><strong>犬夜叉</strong> </p><p>
  <strong>The King of the Forest</strong>
</p><p><strong>犬夜叉</strong> </p><p>            “No! Kirara, give it back! <em>Ngh!”</em></p><p>
  <em>            “Nya-a!”</em>
</p><p>            Kagome looked over her shoulder in half-amusement, half-exasperation at the tug-of-war developing between the boy and the cat-demon. “Shippou,” she scolded, as she finished packing up the breakfast food. The kitsune’s teeth were gritted as he tried to yank the package out of the mewling Kirara’s mouth. “That pocky is for both of you.”</p><p>            “Kirara’s a cat! What does she need pocky for!”</p><p>            <em>“Nya-a-a!”</em></p><p>            “Now now.” Sango walked over, retrieving the endangered pocky package from the combatants. “You shouldn’t be eating a whole package at once anyway, Shippou. Here.” She extracted a biscuit, broke it in half and handed one to each competitor. Shippou looked put-out. “You can both have more later when we stop for lunch.”</p><p>            “Come on, let’s get a move on!” Inuyasha’s voice called from up near the road, clearly in a particularly foul mood. “We’ve got a long way to go today and I’m not sitting around waiting for you, brat!”</p><p>            “Inuyasha! That’s not a nice thing to say!”</p><p>            “What? If he’s gonna <em>be</em> a brat then I’m gonna <em>call</em> him a brat.”</p><p>Listening to the bickering from his position near the burnt-out campfire, Miroku stifled a sigh. Kagome and Inuyasha had been at each other’s throats for nearly two weeks and it was beginning to grate on <em>everyone’s </em>nerves. Honestly, he wasn’t surprised. A fortnight previous the group had suffered a major loss to Naraku and forfeited several jewel shards in the process. The initial hunt-fueling vengeance had withered away after weeks of bad weather, low rations and, worst of all, no shikon shards.</p><p>            “Just because you’re upset we’re not moving fast enough doesn’t mean you can take it out on everyone else!”</p><p>            “Well if you could just find us some <em>jewel</em> shards–”</p><p>            “Oh, so it’s <em>my</em> fault?! I’m not a compass, Inuyasha!”</p><p>            “What the <em>hell</em> is a compass?!”</p><p>            Not to mention (and here Miroku exhaled another rueful little sigh) that they were flat broke and hadn’t been able to find hospitality in any of the villages they’d passed. Apparently there had already been a rash of fake priests performing fake exorcisms in the region, so his usual, ehm, <em>acts of charity</em> hadn’t been well-received—which, for <em>some</em> reason, the group blamed on <em>him. </em>Well, it was alright for <em>them, </em>Miroku thought with a scowl, <em>they</em> weren’t responsible for the group purse. <em>You’re such a scammer, Miroku; you give monks a bad name, Miroku. </em>Of course they were always fine with it when they were stuffing their bellies with rice from grateful village headmen.</p><p>            His eyes caught sight of the lovely demon slayer taking the pocky over to Kagome’s backpack (to little acknowledgement of the lecturing priestess). Sango worst of all had been in a dour mood; she had been responsible for losing the jewel shards and even though everyone had assured her they didn’t hold it against her, he could tell the taijiya still smarted with embarrassment over the debacle. He’d tried to cheer her up a number of times with his flirting and complimenting, but it seemed to have had little effect on Sango’s mood; if anything she seemed more irritable than ever. As she bent down to put the pocky in the backpack, he got an idea. Something to lighten the mood, that was the trick—maybe redirect a little of her annoyance onto him, and flatter her at the same time.</p><p>            <em>Twitch twitch.</em></p><p>            Sango stiffened with the shock of a cat whose tail had just been pulled by a rude child. Miroku brightened, thinking that this was a sign of success, as the tijiya smiled tightly. “Miroku…”</p><p>            “Yes, dear Sang–? <em>Oof!”</em></p><p>            There was a flash of green and pink, and the monk doubled over, gaping fish-mouthed in shock and struggling for air; a slap he could take, but an expertly-placed punch directly up-and-into his diaphragm was another matter. The hand gripping his shoulder to keep him close dropped him and he stumbled backwards, wheezing. “Keep your hands to yourself, you no-good charlatan of a monk,” Sango snapped, red in the face—whether with anger or embarrassment Miroku couldn’t tell.</p><p>“Th-that’s not fair,” he wheezed, stung by the insult. <em>Charlatan!</em></p><p>“If you’re going to put your hands wherever you please then so will I!”</p><p><em>“Sit</em> boy!”</p><p>They both jumped at the ricochet of body-impacting-earth as an enraged Kagome glared down at the half-demon. “Aghah! <em>Wench, what the </em>hell<em> was–”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Sit!”</em>
</p><p>            As the bickering continued Kirara sniffed at a few pocky crumbs, mewled again and poked her nose at the largest. Just as she was about to munch it down, the cat suddenly stiffened and turned.</p><p>            The eyes were back again, just at the edge of the forest. They seemed to glow in the shadows, and then crept into the sunlight. Kirara blinked at the orange-and-brown tabby, and then mewled again.</p><p>            The tabby stared back. Then it bared its teeth, almost like a human smile, and whirled on its paws, vanishing into the undergrowth.</p><p>            “I don’t want a <em>word</em> out of you for the rest of the day, monk! Hey, Kirara?” The cat ignored her master as the human stalked over, still fuming. “My shoulders are really sore, so I need you to transform so you can carry Hiraikotsu, okay?” Sango turned. Kirara was staring into the forest, every hair bristling on end. “Kirara? Are you alright?”</p><p>            In a flash of platinum-white, the cat shot off into the undergrowth.</p><p>            “Kirara!” Bewildered, the taijiya ran after her. With expressions of surprise the group momentarily set aside their enmities and followed.</p><p>            The stretch of forest through which they ran was cool and leafy with greenery; several times Sango nearly lost sight of the nekotama, catching only a glint of a whisker or a flash of striped tail, but she was not called a demon-hunter for nothing. With the group hot on her heels she burst through the treeline and into the overgrown fields of an abandoned farmstead. Across the fields ahead of her she saw Kirara dart through the grass.</p><p>            “In- u- yasha!” Kagome huffed, trying to keep up.</p><p>            “What?”</p><p>            “There’s a jewel shard!”</p><p>            <em>“What?!”</em></p><p>“Up ahead, in that forest! I can sense it!”</p><p>The purple aura of a tainted jewel shard gleamed a dark black-purple in her mind. Inuyasha glanced at her and nodded. “Nn!”</p><p>            At the front of the group Kirara stopped, looked back and jerked her head at the rest of the party, and then vanished into the undergrowth of the forest again. Sango rushed up. “There’s a path in here!” she called back, before flinging herself in after her furry companion. Shippou followed next, then Miroku, Kagome and Inuyasha, all crouching down in the confined space.</p><p>            “Kagome! Hey, wait up! Jeez,” Inuyasha grumbled as the priestess rounded the circumference of the path and disappeared among the branches. “How’d she get ahead of me?” Embarrassed by this change of pace he picked up speed (as much as he was able to, at any rate, given the lowness of the path) and, seeing sunlight up ahead, burst into…</p><p>            “Huh?” He slowed and stopped, bewildered. The spring wind caught his silver hair as he stood peering at the same fields and dilapidated farmhouse he’d just seen. He turned around. “Uh. Kagome?” No response. “Guys?”</p><p>            Nothing. Annoyed, he ran back into the breach in the bushes…</p><p>            ...And out again.</p><p>            “Oh come on!”</p><p>            <em>“Ny-a!”</em></p><p>He turned. Kirara was peering at him from the bushes with an annoyed expression. Inuyasha scowled. “Don’t give me that! Where’d the others go, huh?”</p><p>            The cat meowed and disappeared into the path again. Mistrustfully, Inuyasha followed.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>           Deep within the forest he slept. Through the twisting unknowable paths, past the black ancient trees and snagging undergrowth, within his lair, the King of the Forest slumbered, dreaming unknowable things as his kingdom waited silently around him. A small spirit, one of his subjects scurried through his throne room, waiting nervously at the entrance to his cavern. His king slept and he did not wish to wake him. The King turned and opened a drowsy eye to look down at the small white spirit which bowed its head apologetically; thus the King of the Forest lifted his head slightly, smelling the air. There were trespassers. He laid his head down again and the spirit scurried away once more. Trespassers did not worry him, they would learn soon enough. They would find him in time if they could, but for now he returned to his slumber and unknowable dreams.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            Shippou had outpaced Miroku and Kagome, and found himself stumbling alone out into a forest clearing. “Hey, Sango?” he called. “Kirara? Where’d you guys go?”</p><p>            But there was silence. He looked around, feeling vaguely unsettled but not, to his surprise, afraid, as he usually did when he found himself lost without any of the adults in sight. The trunks rose tall around them and green sunlight filtered down through the dappled leaves high above. A gentle wind stirred the trees and soft birdcalls sounded in the air, but otherwise everything was quiet and peaceful. “Guys?” he tried again softly, but only half-heartedly. Then something golden and gleaming caught his attention, and he looked down.</p><p>            It was an acorn. Intrigued, he picked it up. The shiny hard shell glittered in the faint sunlight; it was the perfect size for fox-magic, too. When he looked around little clusters lay here and there among the leaves. “Hey!” With delight, he set to gathering his windfall.</p><p>            Soon he had moved further into the trees. When at last it seemed like the acorns had run out he looked up and found, to his amazement, that he was standing in front of a very large tree. There are some things every young demon learns, and one of those things is how to recognize a sacred tree. The Goshinboku in the forest near Kaede’s village was just such a place; this one was much older, and much greater.</p><p>            A glitter of something in the sunlight caught his eye as he peered up at the trunk, and when he squinted he could see the faint purple of a jewel shard. Creeping closer, he found a hole in the roots of the tree. “Looks like a path,” he murmured to himself, leaning down to see if he could see the bottom. The roots seemed to curve and twist in a strange way, and just as he was leaning in for a better look, the fox-kit lost his footing. “Whoa!” In a panic he wheeled his arms (scattering acorns everywhere in his wake) and then, first hands and then paws, he tumbled down into the tree.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            Though he wasn’t sure how, this time the path seemed to widen and slope upwards as Inuyasha went along. “Where the hell did you bring us, Kirara?” the half-demon said in annoyance, peering up at the now-taller bushes. The cat was trotting faithfully at his side.</p><p>            “Inuyasha!” As he came out of the bushes into a forest clearing the others hurried up to him. “Where did you go?” Kagome chastised. “We were worried about you.”</p><p>            “Me? Where did you guys go? —What <em>is</em> this place?” He looked up at the trees around them and the soft green-blue light.</p><p>            “Did you see the tree on the cliff?” Sango asked the others.</p><p>            “Tree? What tree? I was too busy chasing after you guys,” Inuyasha mused, though without his usual bluster.</p><p>            “On the cliff over the old farmhouse, there was a great camphor tree. Camphor trees are sacred to the gods,” Miroku appreciated, nodding. “Sometimes powerful forest spirits will take up residence there; that would explain why this place is so peaceful.”</p><p>            “Peaceful…?”</p><p>            “Can’t you feel it?”</p><p>            “Yeah…” The half-demon looked around, a bit in awe for a moment, before his eyes narrowed again suddenly. “That’s just the problem. I don’t trust ‘peaceful.’” He turned around. “Wait a second, where’s Shippou?”</p><p>            “Wasn’t he with you?” Kagome said, surprised.</p><p>            “Ah, great. Now the kid’s gone and gotten himself lost!”</p><p>            “Calm down, Inuyasha, I’m sure we’ll find him,” Miroku reassured.</p><p>            “Yeah, if whatever demon has that jewel shard doesn’t eat him first! Which way is it, Kagome?”</p><p>            “That way,” the miko pointed. “It’s definitely been tainted, but I don’t sense any demons nearby…”</p><p>            “Keh. We’ll see. Come on, before Shippo becomes something’s lunch.”</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p> <em>Pam! Bang! WHUMF!</em></p><p>“Oww…”</p><p>            Shippou lay flat on his back for several seconds and then sat up, rubbing his head. After several blinks the swirling stars in front of his eyes cleared. “Ooh, Inuyasha is gonna be so mad at me. He hates it when I get lost… huh?”</p><p>            He trailed off mid-sentence, startled. Though he’d expected to find himself in a tangle of roots somewhere in the dark, instead the hole had let out into a sunny hollow. Mosses and ferns grew up along the old inner walls of the tree, reaching for the sunshine, and butterflies hovered soundlessly in the air. “Wow…” He stood up slowly from his scattered acorns. “What is this place… whoa.” He’d suddenly turned to find that the hollow was not unoccupied. In a shadowy cavern in the trunk a very large… thing?... was sleeping soundly. Its snores echoed through the hollow, and Shippou crept closer.</p><p>The whatever-it-was dwarfed the kitsune with its gray bulk. For now it slept, its sides rising and falling gently in its slumber. Shippou could hear the deep rumbling snore rolling from within the beast. It rolled over onto its back, revealing a lighter underbelly, but now Shippou could see its wide mouth, opening briefly in a growling yawn.</p><p>            “Um…” Shippou approached cautiously, uncertain what to do. “Hi… I’m real sorry for, um, falling into your home… only I can’t get out on my own…” He peered up at the sunlight, and then down at the sleeping giant. “Hey… you’re not a demon, are you.” He hesitated, and then hopped up onto the fluffy gray belly, peering down at the face.</p><p>            The sleepy eyes fluttered and then opened. They seemed to register Shippou blearily, and then the massive mouth opened wide in a yawn. Shippou startled like a shocked cat; he could see every molar. “Sorry! I’m sorry! No offense intended, really!”</p><p>            But the giant just exhaled a half-roar, half-sleepy-sigh, smiled, and lazily closed its eyes again. Shippou blinked. “Um… I’ll take that as a welcome. Thanks, Mr. Spirit.” He sat down on the furry gray belly. “I guess I should just wait here…until Inuyasha comes to get me. Won’t be long seeing as you have a jewel shard and all… you shouldn’t try to fight him, trust me.” His eyelids felt heavy, and he yawned, patting his mouth. “Shouldn’t be long now…mm…”</p><p>            The sunshine was warm, the hollow cozy and the spirit seemed friendly—and definitely very comfy. Shippou was out cold in under a minute.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            “Which way, Kagome?”</p><p>            “To the right. Not far now… there.”</p><p>            The group came to a halt as they rounded a small copse of trees. The branches of the leafy camphor stretched up above their heads like arms of a giant, dappled green-blue sunlight filtering down around them.</p><p>            “There,” Kagome said softly, pointing; it felt wrong to raise her voice too loud. Halfway up the tree, the sunshine was catching off something small and glittering purple. Inuyasha eyed it.</p><p>            “Yeah, that’s a jewel shard alright. Hang on!” He went for his sword, but Kagome caught his elbow and interjected:</p><p>            “No, wait, Inuyasha, you’d better let me.”</p><p>            “Oh come on! It’s right there!”</p><p>            “Kagome is right, Inuyasha,” Miroku interjected. “Touching a tainted jewel shard could be very dangerous for you; you’d better let Kagome deal with it.”</p><p>            The half-demon grumbled but acquiesced, and Kagome approached the tree, peering up the trunk. She’d tried to climb the Goshinboku a number of times as a child, but had never been quite able to get her arms around the wide trunk. This tree was even wider. Grabbing hold of a chunk of bark, she began to inch her way up the tree.</p><p>            “Be careful,” Inuyasha called, a bit sourly, since he’d been forbidden to help.</p><p>            “Thank you for the advice,” she huffed, shooting him a glower over her shoulder. Frowning with concentration she planted her school loafer into a foothold and hauled herself up another few inches. The fragment gleamed purple only a little ways above her. <em>Almost… there…</em></p><p>            She reached to grab another handhold of bark… and then her foot slipped.</p><p>            <em>Uh oh. </em>She let out a sharp cry as her arms pinwheeled backwards. “Inuyasha!”</p><p>            “Kagome!” But it was too late. Even as he bounded forward, the priestess tumbled—bow, school-uniform and all—into the roots of the tree and vanished into a hollow.</p><p>            “Inuyasha, wait!” Miroku lunged after the half-demon, too slow, as his red-clad comrade disappeared among the roots. “Hold on– <em>woh!”</em> The bottom of his sandal had caught a root.</p><p>            “Miroku!” As he tumbled into the hollow Sango followed and, seeing the space between the roots, swung herself downwards into the dark.</p><p>            <em>“Ouch!”</em></p><p>            <em>BAM!</em></p><p>
  <em>            “Kagome!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            “Agh!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>            WHUMF!</em>
</p><p>One after another the quartet found themselves deposited, one way or another, onto a bed of moss. Kagome landed first, flat on her back as the wind was knocked out of her. Branches and sunlight spun dizzily above her. <em>Ow-w!</em></p><p>“Kagome!” A vision of red cloth landed overtop of her, and she blinked up as Inuyasha dropped to a knee beside her “You okay?”</p><p>            “I-I think so…” She sat up with his help, looking around. “Where <em>are </em>we?”</p><p>            <em>Pam! FLUMPF! </em>Miroku tumbled out of the hole, shortly followed by Sango. As the monk lay sprawled and groaning, the demon hunter was able to regain her composure, turning the tumble into a controlled roll and landing on her feet. “What is this place?” she wondered aloud, looking around.</p><p>            “Ohh…” Miroku raised his head, vision swimming as he looked to his right. And then he stopped. “Um. Sango?”</p><p>            “What is it monk?”</p><p>            “I don’t think we’re alone…”</p><p>            The group turned.</p><p>            They had fallen into a hollow within the tree, dimly lit and shaded by the canopy above. Moss stretched as far as they could see, blanketing every surface where a small leafy plant hadn’t sprouted its way through, drinking in the sunlight that had successfully penetrated this deep. But that wasn’t what drew their eye, across from them, set into a round cavern within the trunk of the tree itself, was a Thing, its gray furred sides rising and falling as it slumbered. And on its belly lay…</p><p>            “Shippou!” Kagome gasped, stepping forward.</p><p>            The creature stirred, its eyes opening slowly and swivelling to locate the source of the sound that had disturbed its slumber. Its mouth was open in a terrible display of teeth, and Miroku realized with a shudder that his head and shoulders could easily fit inside the beast’s mouth. Small yet deceptively sharp claws tipped thick arms on a barrel chest, round staring eyes part-way closed as it surveyed the new intruders. Shippou sat up from his place upon the beast’s stomach, looking over at them, rubbing his eyes as whatever enchanted sleep he had been placed under was broken. Those same eyes seemed to widen as he saw his friends there to rescue him, weapons being drawn, and he hopped down as the beast began to move.</p><p>To their surprise the creature got up with a speed unexpected from a thing of its size and bulk. The beast scratched itself and began to lumber over to them, its eyes still half lidded as it examined the invaders. It stretched up its arms above its head, displaying its size. The group tensed and Kagome knocked an arrow.</p><p>And then it opened its mouth wide, displaying fist-sized teeth and a maw capable of engulfing a man whole as it took in a deep breath. In an instant the group had set their stances, Miroku swinging his shakujo forward, Sango with a hand on her Hiraikotsu, all ready for the bellow of energy sure to bowl them over. “Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be, is it?!” Inuyasha’s hands had already dropped to his sword when a voice cried out:</p><p>            “Inuyasha, wait!” Shippou hopped out from the hollow and scurrying towards his friends, waving his arms wildly.</p><p>            “Shaddup, Shippo, I’ll deal with you later! You know better’n to go walkin’ off on your own without us! As for <em>you–”</em> He sneered at the massive gray beast, “–If you think you’re gonna make a meal of my friend, you’d better think again! <em>Tessusaiga!”</em></p><p>            He drew the sword with a flash of light, the blade setting with a <em>chink!</em> and gleaming sharply in the morning sunlight of the hollow.</p><p>The beast blinked, looking at the massive sword that the half-demon was brandishing in his face. He tilted his head curiously as he took a step back. The half-demon smirked.</p><p>“Not so calm now are ya, huh?” But that couldn’t be right, Kagome realized; she could see that the giant wasn’t frightened so much as curious, wanting to take in the whole sight for himself. Seeming satisfied with his investigation the giant suddenly hopped forward, appearing with a loud thud in front of Inuyasha. The shockwave sent the others tumbling, and even Inuyasha had to steady himself briefly, just in time to see the giant reach out and gently tap the Tessusaiga with a claw.</p><p>There was a dull pulse of energy as the mighty blade was returned to its form as a rusted and chipped sword. The anticlimax was highlighted as the sudden change in weight caused the half-demon to pitch backwards despite himself, forced to steady himself against the giant who helpfully caught his shoulders and helped the half-demon right himself. The giant smiled broadly, a grin that spread from either corner of its face, brushing off the youth’s shoulders before reaching out and patting the half-demon on top of the head gently, pressing a small handful of acorns into his hand for his troubles before pushing past him and walking over to the others where they lay sprawled.<br/>
            As Kagome sat up, she saw a gray claw being offered down to her by the giant. She took it hesitantly and was soon on her feet again. Once she was back on her feet he placed his claw reassuringly on her shoulder as if to make sure she was comfortable.<br/>
            “Thank you...” she said a bit bashfully, but a reassuring pat on the shoulder made her brighten once more. Next the giant picked his way towards Miroku; meanwhile, Sango had already regained her balance and was now examining the giant more carefully. For as menacing as he had seemed not even a few minutes ago, she couldn’t quite decide what to make of him now.</p><p>“I don’t think he means us any harm,” Miroku said slowly as he stood up. No sooner had the monk said it, the few reservations she’d had suddenly evaporated. The previous events of the past hour lost the sinister edge they had once had. She felt slightly embarrassed now. They had not been plumbing the depths of a demon’s lair to rescue a lost friend, but rather they had invaded the giant’s home. No longer was he an imposing enigma, but there was a gentle dignity to how the giant carried himself, regal even, treating the intruders more like misguided guests than as the invaders they were. The giant gave a friendly grunt.<br/>
            Inuyasha was still staring blankly at the handful of acorns as the giant helped the others up. Still in a daze he turned his hand, letting them fall to the ground. The giant watched as they rained down. He leaned over, gathering them back up and with a look of mild concern, placing them carefully back into the half-demon’s hand. The giant grinned broadly at him once more, the half demon’s face slowly waxed from blank confusion to irritation.</p><p>“Miroku’s right, if he had wanted to do us harm, he would have done so already.” Sango concurred, as Miroku readjusted his sandal; the giant steadied him with his helpful bulk, dusting off the monk’s shoulders as he did so. Miroku looked mildly surprised at the word in his favor, but wilted slightly when Sango refused to acknowledge the moment further. Even that was difficult to dwell upon though; this place, the hollow around them seemed to dispel such feelings. The sun shone yellow and green as it gently dripped past the leaves, the mossy floor muffling the sound of footsteps and the occasional falling twig or acorns. Birdsong softly lilted its way through the clearing.</p><p>            “Then what the hell was he doin’ with Shippou!?” Inuyasha’s harsh bark rang in, adding a discordant note to the peace. The birdsong stopped for a moment before beginning once again in defiance of the half-demon’s seemingly endless irritation.</p><p>“He was just letting me sleep, Inuyasha,” Shippou defended his new friend. Inuyasha shot him a glare.</p><p><em>“Even</em> if that’s true, you shoulda been more careful! What if he <em>hadn’t</em> been friendly, huh?”</p><p>            “What’s done is done,” Miroku soothed. “The important thing now is getting the Jewel Shard.”</p><p>            “Oh, yeah… oh yeah!” Inuyasha gave a stubborn nod and crossed his arms in the creature’s direction. “You’d better hand it over, or we’ll…uh…” He faltered and quirked an eyebrow down at his sword.</p><p>He felt something snag the arm of his robe, when he looked back he saw the giant clinging to him, gently but insistently tugging on his sleeve. He pointed a claw at him, slowly, as if in a question, and then towards the trunk in the direction of the shard outside. Inuyasha blinked. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, we want it–?”</p><p>The giant swiftly tucked an acorn into his hand and pushed it back towards the half-demon, who scowled. “Listen, we don’t want your <em>acorns,</em> what we <em>want</em> is the <em>jewel </em>shard!”</p><p>“I think he’s saying he’ll give it to us, Inuyasha,” Miroku interpreted, from the back row.</p><p>“Oh…. ya will?” The creature nodded. “Okay…so can we have it then?”</p><p>The creature turned as if he hadn’t heard him and began to pick up the fallen acorns. Inuyasha watched in bewilderment as the gray furry beast stacked them neatly into a pile, and then gestured to it as if the implication was obvious. Inuyasha, finally out of smart comments, just stared. Silence reigned as everyone watched the creature methodically tidy up, deciphering his actions.</p><p>“I think he wants us to do chores for him,” Miroku realized. Seeming satisfied with his pile of acorns, the creature began to gather up a small claw full of twigs, setting them down carefully. He arranged them into a rough square, pointing to the monk and demon slayer before placing a leaf carefully within the square.</p><p>“The farmhouse,” Sango realized. “By the fields.” As if she 'd correctly interpreted this, he turned to Kagome, and then patted the hollow with his foot.</p><p>“And I’ll stay...here?” Kagome reasoned. The creature patted the moss again and then turned to Inuyasha, reaching within his fur and producing a large toy top. With a quick whip of his claw it began to spin wildly, faster and faster until it was hovering a few inches off the ground. The Creature leapt up, balancing carefully upon it, motioning for the half-demon to climb aboard, which Inuyasha did with trepidation. He was just about to ask how <em>this</em> was going to help when they suddenly took off, rocketing up through the canopy.</p><p>“Gahh!” The air whipped around the half-demon, the branches as well, and he buried his face deeper into the furry bulk to avoid them smacking at him. Up and up they rose, his stomach dropping, and then–</p><p>And then they stopped. It took a moment but Inuyasha began to peel himself off the thing’s belly. They were now at the top of the camphor tree. The sudden vertigo caught him off guard but he was able to regain his balance, standing beside the creature. With his bulk, the upper branches shouldn’t have held him, and yet he stood there, placidly as anything. With a moment of care, the giant caught the top, tucked it away, and took a seat on the branch.<br/>
            “So, why’s ya bring me up here anyway?” Inuyasha grumbled, and yet despite himself, he couldn’t help but admire the broad expanse of the countryside that lay exposed to them by the great height.</p><p>            The giant extended a claw, pointing towards a forest clearing where there was a herd of the small white spirits and a few of the larger blue ones, wandering aimlessly about down below. “Oh, I get it,” Inuyasha said with a grin. “You want me to hunt them, eh?” He cracked his knuckles, and then startled like a scared dog when the giant roared at him. “Oh. <em>Herd</em> them?” The giant nodded, just once. “Alright… yeah, no problem, I can do that! Keh.” He smiled toothily at the giant. “Easiest jewel shard I’ve gotten in a while!”</p><p>            The giant blinked lazily at him—and then hopped down below the canopy and vanished. Inuyasha blinked himself, and then scowled. “Hey! How am I supposed to get down from here!”</p><p>            <em>Phoont! </em>There was a sharp yelp as Shippo burst up through the leaves, and then a <em>pop!</em> as the kitsune transformed into a pink bubble. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks.”</p><p>            Down below, the giant settled pleasantly down to earth and tucked the top away again. “Well, that’s Inuyasha taken care of,” Miroku observed. “I guess Sango and I will be on our way. Kagome, are you alright here alone?”</p><p>            “Sure, I’ll be fine.” She waved Miroku and Sango off as they started down the path the giant had indicated, and then clasped her hands as they vanished around the bend, wondering what her job would be.</p><p>Seeming satisfied that the others would take to their tasks, the giant sat down on a large root at the base of the tree and motioned to Kagome to sit down beside him. Hesitantly she followed. The giant looked over as the little blue spirit approached, holding an ocarina over its head; he accepted the instrument, and Kagome leaned back against the tree trunk as the gentle music filled the clearing.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            The way to the farmhouse ran not back through the hedge, but rather down a grassy path nearly overgrown with knee-high weeds. The path crossed under a shrine-gate, down an old road and then over a narrow stream where there had once been a sturdy bridge which was now nearly rotted away. Sango jumped the distance first and then helped Miroku across. They shared an awkward glance as she hauled him up the riverbank by the hands, but neither wanted to resume their fight, so they continued their walk in silence.</p><p>            At last, after several more minutes walking under the boughs of the trees, they came to a clearing. Miroku pushed aside a low-hanging branch, and both stopped in surprise. Neither had gotten a good glimpse of the farmhouse during their mad dash after Kirara, but now in the bright sunlight both paused to take in the sight.</p><p>            It had probably once been a handsome house with a decent estate; the farmland around wasn’t terribly expansive, but a family of dedicated farmers could easily create a comfortable living from its lands.  The house itself was decently sized, perfect for a large family, but it had seen better days; even from here Sango and Miroku could see the sliding doors left flung wide open or having simply been knocked down. The roof’s thatch was irregular and had not been maintained, leaving large gaping holes which let in the elements.<br/>
            “I think he wants us to fix this place up perhaps?” Sango said slowly, trying to piece together the task ahead of them from the giant’s earlier inference.</p><p>            “That’s… going to be a lot of work,” Miroku commented. Sango ignored him and walked up to the house, hopping onto the veranda. She rested a hand against the frame of one of the doors as she peered inside.</p><p>The interior of the house was in shambles as much as the exterior. The dwelling itself was spacious and well built, and the bones were sturdy, but it was clear that no family had lived in there for a long time. A tall <em>tansu</em> cabinet had toppled over and was lying face-down on the floorboards, of which a few had rotted in the leaking rainwater and fallen through under the house’s stilts. Of the four pickling jars lined up against the wall two were shattered, and the remaining were filled with stagnant rainwater and filth; dirt and fallen leaves covered the floor in a carpet of debris. That wasn’t to say, however, that the house hadn’t been inhabited; the firepit was a blossoming mountain of uncleaned ashes, and a small heap of more ashes and debris of animal bones, broken <em>sake</em> cups and even a rusted sword had been piled up along one of the walls.</p><p>“What happened here?” Miroku murmured, approaching her and seeing what she had seen. Sango nodded to the rusted sword.</p><p>“Bandits, I expect. The whole countryside is plagued with them these days…”</p><p>They walked inside and began to make a mental inventory of the work to be done. Small patches of sunlight filtered through the holes in the thatch, but otherwise the rest of the house was cast in a dull gloom. Miroku paused and stooped down to pick up a broken ceramic bowl; part of it crumbled to red clay dust in his hand, and he set it down again.</p><p>“Ugh.” Sango had stopped short in her pacing as she came to one corner of the house. “What is that <em>smell?”</em></p><p>            “It seems some of the bandits used this corner of the house as a latrine,” Miroku commented ironically as he pointed to the offending corner with the base of his shakujō, his nose wrinkled and long sleeve drawn up across his face. “That would explain why they removed the doors at least, such clever men.” Sango fanned her face and took out her gas mask. Then they fell back into silence, peering about themselves. Despite the sunshine outside, it seemed incapable of piercing the gloom within the house, a grim haze casting a pall.</p><p>Deciding which job needed doing first was fairly quick, but the decision over who should do it was somewhat less clear. In time though, Miroku volunteered, finding a spade in a half collapsed tool shed around the back of the house. As he scooped out the worst, Sango found two wooden buckets and went back to the stream, soon returning with water to scrub away the rest. When that was finished, Sango set to shoveling out the ashes with the shovel (after having it washed off once more) while Miroku sorted through the debris. She shoveled out the ash pile in the hearth first and then went to the larger pile in the corner; it was in the latter that Sango made a discovery. Miroku had finally gotten the tansu cabinet the right way up again when he heard the sudden change in Sango’s work. He turned around to see the huntress on her hands and knees, digging something out of the ashes.</p><p>            “What did you find?” he asked, walking over to her, peering over her shoulder.</p><p>“It’s a teapot,” Sango said, buffing its side with her sleeve, regretting this as the ashes stained it. As the grime came away, she paused in surprise as the deep blue glaze was revealed by her ministrations.  The teapot was dark blue with an even glaze covering the whole kettle, quality craftsmanship. Sango’s eyes were wide as she turned it over in her hands, now cleaning it without a care for her sleeves. “A nice one too, even my family couldn’t have afforded something like this. Maybe the bandits stole it?”</p><p>“I don’t think the bandits would have left it behind if they knew it was there,” Miroku said, shaking his head. “My guess is it was the previous owner’s and it got lost in the ashpile; the bandits never thought to clean it up, so they never found it.” Miroku took the teapot from her, turning it in his hands, only pausing when Sango produced the matching lid. “It might be worth something, we could sell it in the next village.” Miroku appraised, though his voice stopped on a note of hesitation. The question stood in the air with surprising weight as the two looked at it. They already had Kagome’s teakettle, so the group itself had no need for one, but somehow the idea of selling it also felt wrong. This had once been someone’s treasure and heirloom.</p><p>            “Well, let’s deal with it later,” Miroku broke the silence with forced nonchalance and set it down onto the tansu. Sango nodded, grabbing onto the excuse not to consider the moral implications for the time being, and both returned to work.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            “And that’s how I ended up in this time and breaking the Sacred Jewel…”</p><p>            The giant listened with rapt attention to her story. He nodded along when called for, but remained silent.</p><p>            “I don’t understand,” she finished. “This place is so peaceful; what could have corrupted the jewel shard in your tree?”</p><p>            The creature let out a rumble and pointed a claw behind her. Kagome turned and looked down to see the little white and blue creatures shuffling up to her, carrying—to her surprise—what appeared to be a sword over their heads. They bowed and set it at her feet; when Kagome crouched down she saw that the sword was, unlikely Inuyasha’s, poorly-made and poorly-cared for, as if it had been sitting in the rain for many months. “A sword?” She picked it up and tried to draw it, but it refused to budge. “It’s rusted shut… what happened here? A battle?” The giant rumbled again. “Not a battle—bandits, then?” The creatures at her feet hopped up and down. “I see…” She stood up, looking around at the forest. “You sent Sango and Miroku back down to the farmhouse, right? I bet the bandits really ruined it, huh…”</p><p>            The creature peered up at the camphor tree, its branches swaying in the wind. “I bet that’s why,” Kagome murmured, standing beside him and looking up into the leaves. “This whole place is so peaceful that even that little bit of evil was enough to corrupt the jewel shard.”</p><p>            A breath of wind stirred the leaves and grass at her feet. Kagome studied the tree for a long while, and then said softly, “This whole place is sacred. I can feel it.” The creature didn’t answer. “My family takes care of a shrine back in Tokyo, you know. Or my grandpa does, actually…I guess I should have paid more attention to all that stuff. It turns out I’m the reincarnation of a really powerful priestess, but I don’t know how to do much of the shrine-maiden stuff like my mom does. Still…”</p><p>She hesitated, and then approached the tree, clapped twice, and bowed. The two little creatures at her feet bowed with her, and then hopped up and down next to her. “Do you want me to follow you?” Another hop indicated yes, so she trailed after the little spirits further into the forest, as the larger creature watched them go.</p><p>As they walked, Kagome began to notice moss-covered <em>toro </em>lamps along what was quickly revealing itself as a path. She let out a little “oh” as an old wooden shrine gate came into view down the hill, and then came to a stop as she reached the top of the stone steps leading down to the gate. A pang of sadness overtook her; they were covered in debris and obviously hadn’t been used, or tended to, in a long time.</p><p>Something patted her leg, and she looked down. The small blue creature stepped back as she followed its gaze to where the white creature was hopping up and down next to a fallen tree branch. Kagome approached and picked it up. The leaves were still green, as if the branch had only recently fallen.</p><p>The young woman set down her backpack and pulled out a little pencil bag, from which she retrieved two rubber bands. The first she used to tie back her dark hair; the second, to bind the leaves and twigs of the fallen branch closer together. With this makeshift broom, the priestess from the future set to her sweeping.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            Cleaning the old farmhouse seemed to be a never-ending chore. Every time one thing had been scrubbed or polished or swept, it seemed something new appeared in need of attention—oftentimes because the process of cleaning the last thing had sullied another. “This is hopeless!” Sango exclaimed sometime around noon, looking in despair around the farmhouse’s large room. The floor had been covered in ash and dirt before, but even after a first cleaning it once again (after their ministrations to other parts of the house) strewn with more dust than ever. The hem of her mobakama apron and the ankles of her black under-trousers had been stained an off-white and her pink kosode was dusted with smudges of soot from cleaning the fireplace.</p><p>            “We just have to keep at it,” Miroku said wearily from behind her, though he’d already thrown himself on the veranda, legs dangling over the edge into the long grass.</p><p>            “I would almost rather fight a demon,” Sango sighed. Of course she knew how to tidy a house—but this was ridiculous!</p><p>            With a <em>whumf </em>and a small cloud of dust, Miroku flopped onto his back, careless of his already-grubby purple robes, and closed his eyes. He mused about the possibilities of other ways to tidy the house. <em>If only I could control the strength of my wind tunnel…</em> He sighed half-ruefully. Ah well.</p><p>            As he lay there, his arms splayed, he felt a light tickle upon his left hand. Slowly, he turned his head and saw the sprite.</p><p>            It was a small creature, black and fuzzy with large eyes that looked up at them bewilderedly. It was surprisingly light, unsubstantial even, with only a gentle tickle to prove that it was indeed there. Suddenly it zipped out of Miroku’s hand, along the floor and back to the corner of the room, leaving a thin trail of dust in its wake.</p><p>            “What the…” He sat up, peering at the corner. Nothing but shadow and wood. “Sango,” he said slowly, “did you see that?”</p><p>            “See what?” she called over her shoulder, having returned (ah, the industry of that woman!) to the sisyphean task of sweeping the floor.</p><p>“There was a…” Had he imagined it? He peered at the corner, but saw nothing. Shaking his head, bewildered, he turned back towards the veranda.</p><p>From the shadow cast by the wall blocking out the sunlight, two eyes looked back at him.</p><p>“Gah!”</p><p>Sango looked back as Miroku leapt to his feet. “What?!”</p><p>“There! Right there!” He was pointing at the wall near the door. Sango frowned, now concerned rather than irritated; had the sun gotten to him? But then her eyes travelled the path of his pointing finger, and she started like a cat.</p><p>There were <em>eyes</em> in the shadows—no, the shadows themselves had eyes! One, two—a third popped open as if appearing from a crack in the wood. Miroku had taken a step towards them warily. The eyes watched him as if curious at this strange creature. “Miroku?” Sango called nervously.</p><p>He held up a finger silently as he crept over to the wall. They <em>seemed</em> peaceful, but who could tell with demons? Hesitantly, he reached out his fist and knocked smartly on the wall.</p><p>            <em>Whoosh.</em></p><p>The two humans yelped and jumped towards each other as the living shadows seemed to rush out at them over the floor, pouring out of the cracks in the walls and floor as they scurried to the opposite nooks and crannies. No, not shadows—soot! Little black clouds of soot! Miroku gaped; in all his years he’d never seen anything like these. “W-What do we do!”</p><p>            “I don’t know!” The tidal wave of soot settled as she spoke, and seemed to be watching them from the corners again. “Sweep them out, I guess?” Miroku nodded. “I’ll use the rags; you take the broom.”</p><p>            They were everywhere; now that the duo knew what they were looking for, it seemed that the creatures, the soot sprites, had settled in every nook and cranny they could find, and every time they shooed them out of one corner, they would return to another. They weren’t dangerous—they never attacked—but the humans’ frustrations were mounting as they tried and failed to deal with the things as they scurried this way and that, always just out of reach.  “How many of these things are there!?” Miroku called out in exasperation, chasing down a small herd that had slipped past Sango, whipping the broom wildly at them as he tried and failed to sweep them away. Even Sango was beginning to take things personally as she scurried about, finding nests for the monk with his broom to sweep away. It was an exercise in futility however, and eventually they found themselves sitting in the middle of the floor, grumbling as they watched another herd of the sprites swarm into a crack in the wall they had just cleared out.</p><p>            “We’ve bested hundreds of demons,” Miroku panted, leaning on the broom, “but we can’t take care of a couple of dust bunnies?”</p><p>            “Miroku...” Sango began slowly as an idea began to dawn. The small soot sprites had all retreated to their corners, swarming across each other as they did. “I think...I think they’re supposed to be here, like some sort of guardians.”</p><p>“Guardians for the house?”</p><p>“Yes, exactly. I think I remember my father telling me about something like this once,” she said with growing confidence as the memories of shared wisdom began to filter back in. She turned looking up at the shy clusters bristling at the corners of the house. “They take care of abandoned houses and homes, living in them until a new person moves in, at which point they leave to find somewhere new to live.”</p><p>They paused, looking up at the corner of the house. The soot sprites peered out at the pair from their corners of the room. The humans stared back. Slowly the duo returned to their real work and the soot sprites continued to watch, carefully. As they went around closing the doors and gathering up the trash, the small black spirits began to creep out of their hiding places once more, settling into the rafters, behind the <em>tanso,</em> spreading their soft protective dust evenly as they made themselves at home once more.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            “Oh, come <em>on!”</em></p><p>            Shippou watched the spectacle lazily, eyebrows raised and eyes half-lidded with disdain, the end of a stick of pocky poking out of his mouth. Inuyasha let out a foul string of curses as he attempted to bound ahead of the flock of blue and white creatures, only for the rabbit-like beings to part around him like the tide and continue on their way. So far the half-demon had managed to have no luck in herding the creatures; at any given time he could manage to capture five or six of them in his arms, but the twenty-odd others would hop and skip eternally just out of his reach until, in a fit of over-exertion, he’d drop the ones he already had and the cycle would begin again. “I think you’re doing it wrong,” the kitsune commented mildly, munching the cookie.</p><p>            “You got a better idea?!”</p><p>            “Not really.”</p><p>            “Then keep your mouth shut!”</p><p>            Shippou shrugged and pulled out another pocky stick. “Gotcha!” Inuyasha crowed triumphantly as he grabbed a seventh little blue spirit, and then—Shippou rolled his eyes; Inuyasha was so predictable—let out a yelp as one of the others wriggled its way to freedom. Soon all seven were running about with their friends in the clearing.</p><p>            “Told you so,” Shippou called idly, taking another stick of pocky out of the box. Inuyasha stalked over and snatched the cookie out of his hands. “Hey!”</p><p>            “You shouldn’t go stealing from Kagome’s bag! She takes good care of you and you’re damned ungrateful about it!”</p><p>            “Give it back!”</p><p>            “Tch!” Inuyasha stomped off to the other end of the clearing and threw himself down cross-legged into the grass, his back to a tree trunk. Shippou shouted a few more cries of indignation before grabbing another stick of pocky out of the box. Inuyasha sat there, fuming, not bothering to eat the cookie himself. He wasn’t particularly peckish himself at the moment—but the kid was getting on his nerves!</p><p>            He let out a frustrated sigh, tossed his silver hair and closed his hazel eyes. The sunlight felt nice, at least. If he couldn’t round up these little nuisances he may as well take a nap…</p><p>            <em>Thump-thump.</em></p><p>It could be worse. Chores were annoying but at least he wasn’t having to fight some demon…</p><p>            <em>Thump-thump.</em></p><p>He cracked an eye open. The little white creature peered back at him, and then hop-hopped again in the grass. Inuyasha blinked.</p><p>            “Uh… hey.” <em>Hop-hop. </em>“Look, can you scram or something? Clearly y’all don’t want to be herded anywhere, so at least let me nap in peace.”</p><p>            <em>Hop-hop. </em>The creature walked up beside him and settled down facing the clearing, forming a little white-fur triangle reminiscent of an onigiri-ball without the nori. Inuyasha eyed it. The creature closed its eyes, and, warily at first, then more comfortably, Inuyasha did the same.</p><p>            The gentle breeze in the branches and the sunlight through the dappled leaves faded into a gentle lull, and when Inuyasha opened his eyes again he felt more rested than he had in a long while. The sun had moved slightly, though not much, and he looked over at the creature at his side. It was watching its compatriots flock and frolic about in the field with its own quiet patience, so Inuyasha guessed it had liked its own nap.</p><p>            “Agh… y’know, I don’t usually get the chance to sleep like that,” he said with a yawn, rolling his shoulders. The creature obviously didn’t reply. “We spend so much time in dangerous territory that I haven’t had a good nap in… hell, I dunno how long.”</p><p>He scratched his ear with a frown, which flickered, and watched the mesmerizing dance of the other little creatures for a bit. Sometime during his nap Shippou had joined their game, giggling in the distance and running after the creatures. After a moment Inuyasha continued: “Listen, I didn’t mean to be such a jerk to your ruler earlier. It’s just that everywhere I go there’s a whole horde of demons just looking to make me and my friends into lunch. I’m not really built for places like this…”</p><p>His face faded into a troubled frown at this, and the creature turned to look up at him with concern. Inuyasha scowled. “I’m fine! Jeez, stop giving me that look; I don’t need pity, especially not from some little rabbit like you.”</p><p><em>Hop-hop. </em>Inuyasha blinked as the creature nudged closer to him, and then—to his ultimate surprise—rested its fluffy head against his knee. The half-demon stared down at it, bewildered. Most animals, hell, most <em>people</em> had what he considered to be a healthy fear of him, but this little being seemed perfectly at ease in his presence. And… he hesitated.</p><p>It <em>did</em> look rather soft…</p><p>Cautiously, he settled a clawed hand between the creature’s furry long ears. It closed its eyes again. Inuyasha took this as a good sign.</p><p>“I guess I’ve just…been fighting so long, I don’t know how to stop.” He absent-mindedly patted the creature’s head. “What if I can’t, y’know? Fighting is all I know. What if when we beat Naraku—because we <em>will,”</em> he added fiercely, and then grew melancholy, “—what if I can’t learn how to live a normal life?” The little creature blinked up at him. Inuyasha gave a rueful chuckle. “Look at me, yammerin’ on like you can understand. Here.” He retrieved the stick of pocky from inside his sleeve, broke it in half and gave it to the creature. It took it in its paws, bowed (much to Inuyasha’s surprise), and began to eat it like a rabbit would lettuce. “Huh. Looks like you like it then.” He watched the creature eat for several more seconds, before realization dawned on his face and he stood up.</p><p>            “Oy, Shippou!” The kit looked back, the pack of little white creatures gaining several more feet on him. “These things like your pocky.”</p><p>            The kitsune crossed his arms. “No way. Kagome brought that pocky for me.”</p><p>            “Yeah well, I–” He caught sight of the creature looking up at him and changed tactics. “Look, kid, this is important. We need that jewel shard. If you let me use your pocky I promise I’ll get you lots of sweets at the next village.”</p><p>            Shippou hesitated, looking down at the box in his hand. He screwed up his face, and then sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay. For the jewel shard.” He walked over and reluctantly handed Inuyasha the box.</p><p>            “I’ll make it up to you.”</p><p>            “Sure you will.”</p><p>            “I mean it.” Shippou gave him a suspicious look, but when he saw the half-demon’s sincerity he relaxed.</p><p>            “Okay. Thanks, Inuyasha.”</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            The sun was setting lavender and peach over the farmhouse when at last the repairs were finished. “I guess that’s everything,” Miroku said pensively, drawing the back of his gloved hand across his brow. Sango nodded beside him. After finishing the thatching they had swept the old farmhouse one last time, hauled out the broken pickling pots and cleaned out the good ones, and replaced a few broken floorboards. With some old kitchen rags Miroku had found and washed, Sango had packed the teapot up neatly and stored it away in the <em>tansu</em> cabinet. With the soot sprites inside settling back in, the monk had placed a paper blessing and chanted a prayer over the house to keep out demons and vandals, and then they had stepped back to take in the fruits of their labors. The formerly-dilapidated dwelling now appeared solid and inviting in the twilight, the gloom long banished and replaced by a restful waiting.</p><p>            “I wonder if any family will ever live here,” Sango wondered. “We live in such violent times…and this place is so far from any town or village…”</p><p>            “Maybe not this literal house,” Miroku mused. “But the foundations are solid; I feel certain that some day, in a better era—an era without war—this house will be inhabited again.”</p><p>            A wind stirred the branches of the great camphor on the hill behind them, and a flock of blackbirds took off into the gloaming. Quietly, without words, the two’s hands found each other and clasped together as the old farmhouse took on the colors of the evening.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>After many hours of work, dusk was at last settling over the forest. As the silhouettes from the trees fell over the path and the now-swept steps of the shrine, the gleaming flames from within the <em>toro</em> lanterns seemed to glow all the brighter.</p><p>            “And… there.” Kagome stepped back from the tree, appreciating her handiwork. The hemp rope, newly-adorned with paper cut from the blank back pages of one of her schoolbooks, swayed gently and settled. “What do you think? Does that look right?”</p><p>            The creature opened its mouth into a wide smile. Kagome closed her eyes happily. “Ahh…” She rolled her shoulders and opened her eyes again, and looked around in satisfaction. “Nothing like a job well done.” Her branch-and-leaf broom was leaned up against the tree, sans rubber-band, and ran a hand through the bangs falling over her eyes (the rest of her hair still tied back out of her way). “I’m sorry we have to leave so soon…a shrine like this really deserves a permanent priestess—maybe even two.” She watched the paper sway with a faint smile, and then a glint caught her eye and drew her gaze higher up the tree trunk. All was not yet quite well; the small violet halo of the corrupted jewel shard, visible only to her, seemed to gleam more ominously in the shadows of evening. “I still need to purify that, but I’m not quite tall enough… hey, can you give me a lift?”</p><p>            She turned to the creature, but the furry behemoth did not look down at her, instead studying the jewel shard. He blinked at it slowly, once, twice—and then stretched out a single claw.</p><p>            A dart of panic seized Kagome’s heart: she had seen too many gentle demons corrupted into horrifying monsters by the cruel power of the sacred jewel. She flung out a hand: “No, wait–!”</p><p>             But no sooner had the thought laid its hooks into her mind than they were banished. The giant had reached up, taking the jewel shard gingerly in his hand. There was a brief flash of light as the jewel was purified and returned to its faint pinkish-purple hue. The creature examined it briefly before he turned to her once more—and held the jewel shard out to her.</p><p>            Kagome looked at it, and then up at him, hesitating. The creature nodded encouragingly and pushed it gently into her hands. Kagome held her palm up to the fading light and watched the jewel shine with its purified glow.</p><p>            “Thanks…” She reached under her shirt and retrieved the little pouch they had been using as a makeshift jewel holder, dropping the fragment inside. As its light vanished behind the cloth, the sun, too, set over the forest, leaving only the moon rising into a peacock-blue sky and the flames of the shrine lamps to light the way.</p><p>            Kagome turned at the sound of footsteps behind her and saw her friends walking in pairs up the path in the lantern-light. “Hey,” she said softly as they stopped in front of her.</p><p>            “Hey.” Inuyasha glanced behind him and Shippou; for a brief moment beyond them Kagome saw a small herd of several dozen blue and white spirits, dutifully following the half-demon and kitsune in little bounds, before with a series of hops and skips and rustling branches they vanished into the undergrowth around the great camphor. Inuyasha looked mildly surprised. “Huh. I hope that was supposed to happen…”</p><p>“I got the jewel shard back,” Kagome offered. “it’s purified now…”</p><p>            “Hey, good job,” Inuyasha praised. Kagome blushed.</p><p>            “Well I mean, I didn’t–” She turned. The forest behind her was empty. Peer as she might among the shadows she could catch no glimpse of the large gray creature or its smaller helpers.</p><p>            “What is it, Kagome?” Sango asked.</p><p>            “H-He was right here…”</p><p>            <em>“Nya.”</em> The group looked back behind them. Kirara was standing along the path down to the steps. She mewed again, and then began to walk away. Wordlessly, the group followed.</p><p>            Kirara led them back down the shrine path, down the overgrown road and over the stream. As they passed by the farmhouse, Kagome cast a glance at Inuyasha, wondering if he’d complain about not making use of the perfectly good shelter for the night, but the half-demon seemed lost in thought, silently following the cat-demon back the way they’d come.</p><p>            They passed through the wood on the other side of the fields and came again to the broad plains where they had camped the night before. Nobody objected to the idea, so they began to set up camp. As Miroku and Shippou lit the fire, Sango called over softly, “Everyone, look…”</p><p>            They gathered around her. Next to Kagome’s bicycle they saw a small pile of firewood and several large pouches made of broad leaves, bound up by dry grass. When Sango untied a few, they found inside a bounty of nuts, berries and mushrooms—enough provisions to last the group a few days, perhaps longer with careful rationing.</p><p>            Miroku and Kagome roasted some of the nuts and mushrooms over the fire for dinner; then, without words save for a few soft “good nights,” “sleep wells,” the group settled down for the evening. The moon had risen higher in the sky; the night was warm, and as Kagome drifted off inside her sleeping bag under the silhouettes of the trees, she thought she heard, somewhere in the half-daze between waking and dreaming, the faint hum of an ocarina drifting over them from the forest, adding its own flavor to the sounds of the evening.</p><p>
  <strong>犬夜叉</strong>
</p><p>            The morning dawned cool and breezy, with clouds coming over the grassy hills and faint beams of golden sunlight poking through. The group packed up mostly in silence, aside from quiet “hand me thats” and “thank yous.” Sango ruffled Kirara’s fur as she slung her Hiraikotsu over her back, and the cat mewed, pleased to hover around her ankles.</p><p>            “It’s going to rain,” Kagome noted softly, looking at the clouds rolling in gently over the countryside. Everyone felt reluctant to leave the forest’s side, but in the end they donned their rainhats and, together, set off again. Soon they came to an old dirt path, now much overgrown, and, having no inclination against it, quietly agreed to follow it for a time. As they walked Shippou retrieved his packet of pocky from of the fold of his jacket and peered inside. There was only one stick left. He took it out and was about to take a bite when he saw Kirara trotting faithfully at Sango’s ankles. “Kirara,” he called, and the cat glanced back and then darted to his side. Shippou hesitated, grimaced, and then sighed and broke the pocky stick in—well, not exactly half, but he handed Kirara a piece nonetheless. The cat took it in her tiny fangs and mewed her thanks.</p><p>            Sango, who had been watching out of the corner of her eye, smiled to herself; she caught Miroku trying to hide his own smirk, and they shared a quiet chuckle. As the group passed an old roadside shrine to the Buddah, the monk paused to pay his respects, bowing his head in a quiet prayer. Sango joined him, and the rest respectfully paused for a moment before moving on. Behind them the statues stood impassively, granting peace to the travelers in their stony tranquility.</p><p>            The rains came in, gentle and soaking gray over the fields. In spite of her rain hat Kagome shivered; her school uniform only gave so much protection against the chill. To her side she heard a short sigh and a rustle—and then, to her surprise, a bundle of red cloth was thrust in front of her.</p><p>            “Here.” She looked over at Inuyasha’s gruff voice. “Take it.”</p><p>            “Thanks…” She shrugged it on.</p><p>            “Yeah, yeah. Jeez. You humans get sick so easily,” he grumbled. She frowned and opened her mouth to object— before the smell of smoke and the warmth of the heavy cloth enveloped her, and immediately the rain seemed like less of a nuisance. Her irritation abated as she realized the gesture had been made out of goodwill.</p><p>            Inuyasha glanced over as he felt her nudge him with her elbow, and blushed. “Sorry,” he mumbled, but he saw her grateful smile, and almost despite himself, he smiled back.</p><p>            As the rain began to patter down harder, the group pushed forward, enjoying the warm summer shower.</p><p>
  <strong>トトロ</strong>
  
</p><p>            The King of the Forest watched the travelers go dispassionately, and glanced down briefly as some of the smaller spirits huddled around his feet. As he stood there, he heard the characteristic plop-plop sound of rain falling from the sky and onto the fat leaves of his forest. He looked up, letting the rain patter down onto his wide gray face. After a time he reached over, plucking a broad flat leaf from his bountiful and green treasury. He placed it atop his head, a small way to keep dry as he stood out in the warm summer rain. It didn’t make much of a difference really, as the rain rolled down his warm gray sides.</p><p>            In time the smaller ones would huddle under his bulk as he did the leaf, and in time again he would turn, seeming satisfied with his survey of his kingdom. He returned back to the forest, gently sliding between the tree trunks, picking his way through the undergrowth, following the unknowable trails until he reached his hollow. The little ones hopped, jogged and scurried, trying with mixed success to match his gait. Rain was falling gently into the center of the hollow, lightened by the leaves catching it on its way down, leaving only the fattest, heaviest drops to fall into his sanctuary. Sometime during his journey the leaf had been pulled from his head and lay on the forest floor, ready to return to the earth. The little ones scurried to their hollows as he lumbered to his own.</p><p>            It had been a good day, good work had been done and good company had. He crawled up into his own warm wooden cavern, turning once or twice before finding a comfortable position on his side. In time the King of the Forest slept and dreamed pleasant dreams.</p><p>
  <strong>トトロ</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This work was a cooperative production between myself and fellow author, friend, and boyfriend, Arthur Brannon.</p><p>Disclaimer: I neither own the intellectual property of the InuYasha or Ghibli universes, nor the rights to any of the affiliated merchandise or creative works thereof, nor do I profit from this work produced here.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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